BOOKISH
by Alissa Redmond
Tensions, turmoil run high in Cash’s thriller
W
iley Cash’s latest novel, When Ghosts Come Home (pp. 304, expected publication Sept. 21, by William Morrow), is quite possibly the most perfect crime thriller I have ever had the pleasure to read. Propulsive and character-driven, this book is one I could not put down, and I stayed up all night to finish it — my heart was pounding by the end. I did not want my experience with this book to be over; When Ghosts Come Home is such an amazing read, and I imagine I will be hard pressed to find someone to disagree with that statement after picking it up later this year in my bookstore. South Main Book Company will be lucky to host Cash in Salisbury on Oct. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. Winston Barnes, the aging sheriff of Oak Island, North Carolina, appears to be failing in his bid for reelection, and he is wakened one morning by the sound of a plane crash at the nearby municipal airport. He arrives first on the scene to an obvious crime. There is enough to fill a novel with tales of Barnes’ detective work that follows, but the real Author Wiley Cash story — the heart of this novel — lies in Cash’s tender depiction of two families mired in complete turmoil. Barnes is as nearly preoccupied with losing the sheriff’s race as solving this crime, as his wife’s cancer is progressing rap-
idly, and they will lose their healthcare coverage without his continued employment. Their daughter, Colleen, blows into town from Dallas without her new husband — or any notice to her parents — to grieve the loss of her stillborn child and re-determine the course of her life. Across town, the family of Rodney Bellamy is also picking up the pieces of their shattered lives in the wake of tragedy. Patriarch Ed Bellamy, a war veteran and respected high school teacher, wants answers in the wake of his son’s mysterious death, and he does not believe he will obtain accurate ones from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s office. Rodney’s wife, Janelle, is overwhelmed caring for the couple’s infant son and her teenage brother, Jay, who recently arrived in town after a skirmish with law enforcement near their parents’ home in Atlanta. Everyone is a suspect, and tensions are bubbling over between families and political factions as this well-paced novel edges towards its jaw-dropping conclusion. Sheriff Barnes is an incredible character who is able to see through other characters’ racism, family strife and personal secrets to try to uncover the truth; he is the kind of sheriff we all need right now. When Ghosts Come Home is set in 1984, and I hold out hope for a present-day sequel, but until then, I will recommend Cash’s latest book to anyone looking for a compelling read, and I hope this one raises his national profile substantially, as it should. S
The title mentioned above, along with others from Wiley Cash and fine North Carolina authors, will be available at Salisbury’s independent bookstore, South Main Book Company, located at 110 S. Main St. You can pre-order this novel on the store’s website (https://southmainbookcompany.com/shop/when-ghosts-come-home-by-wiley-cash/). Call 704-630-9788 or email southmainbookcompany@gmail.com to confirm store hours and events. Alissa Redmond is the bookstore’s owner.
SEPTEMBER 2021
9
